Lake Erie. Bottom line is we are all drawn to the water. Watching the lake from day to day is one of the magical parts of being a part of its cycles. The sunsets, the storms, the ever-changing waves. All of it is a daily wonder.
We are right along the scenic Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail.
In addition, there are great things to do nearby.
•Restaurants: Romans IV, The Wagon Wheel and Compadres Mexican right down the street. Ice cream at Karen's (our children's favorite).
•Shopping: Giant Eagle and Walmart on OH-20. In the summer, there are many farm stands with fresh fruit and veggies (including the best Ohio sweet corn), try Wayman Farms and Sergeeva's Farm.
Wineries: Madison sits in the middle of the Lake Erie AVA, which stretches from New York to West Ohio. The Grand River AVA is nearby in Ashtabula Co. There are at least 25 wineries within a 30 minute drive. Establishing viticulture in an area is a long process (they have been cultivating grapes in Burgundy for over 2000 years), do yourself a favor and check out where Northeast Ohio is in their wine journey.
Things to do: Geneva on the Lake is about a fifteen minute drive and filled with old school boardwalk-type fun. Ashtabula county (just east of Madison) has 18 wooden covered bridges; there is a driving tour available online. Erie Shores is a public golf course less than two miles away.
Cleveland and all of its big city fun is about an hour away. You can visit the Cleveland Museum of Art or the Natural History Museum and go to Little Italy to eat, all in the same area. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is almost a straight drive once you are on OH-20. Finally, Cleveland boasts three professional sports teams - Guardians, Browns and Cavaliers. There is minor league baseball in Eastlake (High A) and in Akron (AA). If you like more non-tradiotional sports, there two Roller derby leagues in Cleveland - Burning River (women) and Cleveland Guardians (men), and the Cleveland Monsters minor league hockey (AHL).